Kanye West: "I Will Never Be on The Same Level Rap-Wise as Jay Z"

Kanye West did an interview with Q102 in Philadelphia, where he focused on his career and catalog as a rapper. Always compared to his "Big Brother," Jay Z, Kanye was asked about the point when he felt like he was on equal footing with Jay. "I will never be on the same level rap-wise as Jay Z," Kanye said. "Jay Z is a thousand times a greater rapper than Kanye West."

The interview started with Kanye clarifying Rick Rubin's comments about Yeezus coming together last-minute. He then added that his lyrics are produced the same way that the instrumentals are. Calling himself an "everything fanatic," Kanye explained that his passion is more ubiquitous than what people might expect.

Kanye went back to his earlier material. He said that the original version of "Homecoming" had a different set of lyrics, but he was asked by Chris Martin to change the content.

When asked about the evolution of his rapping style, Kanye said:

"I used to not rap that good, but I knew that I had something to say. People would put up with it because they liked that soul sound that Jay Z and Mos Def had presented to them. This new version of the sound that mixed Roc-A-Fella and [Dr.] Dre drums next to a more Wu-Tang type of soul. And my style of rap was more spoken word. That's why I had to be so message based. It had to be something where if you took the beat away, it literally would be a poem. But coming from those places, by the time I learned how to rap, now you're getting the combination of the highest level of information next to a good rapper."